Eia Hunt
by TrippleZeroItalics
Summary: Eia Hunt has no business in the Wizarding World. Or so she thought. On one fatal night she finds herself facing a werewolf, and ends up an outcast with no place to go. So she asks a favour of her creator, a boy named Remus Lupin, who willingly agrees.AU.
1. An Odd Place To Heal

**Disclaimer:** Only Eia, Healer Cartruce, and the plot are mine. Everything else belongs to JKR and WB respectively. Jo is my hero - however, I am in no way affiliated with her.

**Full Summary:** Eia Hunt is just a Muggle with no business in the Wizarding World. Or so she thought. On one unforgettable night she finds herself facing a werewolf, and ends up an outcast of both worlds with no place to go. So she asks a favour of her creator, a sixteen year old boy named Remus Lupin, who willingly agrees. AU.

* * *

**Chapter one: An Odd Place To Heal**

The once-green eyes flickered open, and she stirred. And tried not to hiss at the surging pain running through her body, for it felt as though her throat might explode if a little more fuel was added to the fire.

And then she started to panic. With a quick dart of the room with her eyes, she found the place was entirely unfamiliar. She'd never seen anything like it before. Well, she supposed it might resemble a hospital, but the architecture was way too odd, and the content of the room was completely different from anything she'd ever seen in a hospital before – but she couldn't think of anywhere else it might be, so she settled with that.

So, that brought up the question: What was she doing in a hospital, and why was she in so much _pain_?

She tried to sit up for a better look at her surroundings, but quickly found herself unable to move without provoking the fire on her flesh to get hotter. She actually had to look down to check whether or not the fire was metaphorical. Fortunately for the owner, this bed would not be burnt tonight.

So, she couldn't move. The only thing she could do was lie there and wait for the pain to either ease or bring her to her death. And think. Maybe if she could just remember what had happened in order for her to end up in such a weird, frightening place with such an aching body...

She had... she had had a fight with her parents (the bigots they were!). Her memories ran a little blurry and red tinted for tears had stung her eyes. She remembered stuffing all of her things into her trunk and hoisting it out the front door.... and then she ran. She ran as far away from the house as she could – and what better place to rid them than the forest? She was the only one who could find her way through it, what with it being much of a second home, and despite a shriek of her name (Eia! That's right, she remembered now, her name was Eia) her parents would never dare to follow her, even if they wanted to.

But... she was confused and panicked and hysterical because of what she'd just done. And then her memories started to faze again, but this time it wasn't because she had been crying.

The next thing she could remember was waking up in a strange place with burning skin and aching joints.

And the only thing that outweighed the pain was curiosity. "_What the heck happened to me?" _she thought, frustrated at being so uninformed and immobilized.

Her irritation grew stronger every passing moment, as her pain slowly ceased.

And then finally, _finally_, someone entered the room. She had been willing someone to come in since she had woken up, but now they were here she hadn't a clue what to say.

"What-?" she croaked, but a sharp stab at her throat stopped her.

"Shh," the woman hushed gently. "You shouldn't talk or move for another two hours. The transformation is almost complete but it will take a little while to adjust to your conscious form."

Transformation? Adjust to her conscious form? What on Earth was this stranger talking about?

"You are at St. Mungos, Felicia. You're very lucky you got here when you did – it isn't likely you would have survived if you hadn't. I'm Healer Cartruce and I've been assigned to take care of you while you're here. I know you probably have a lot of questions, dear, but I'm afraid they'll have to wait until you're feeling better. You absolutely _will not_ attempt to move or talk until I say otherwise," she ordered sternly.

The woman nodded her goodbye, and left the confused girl to herself again. Eia found herself reading into the woman's words too deeply, but it was all she could do. There was another two hours of this immense pain to go, after all.

So she began to wait for pain to end, wondering if running away was really worth it.

* * *

A/N So, first chapter of an incredibly persistant plot bunny. Yet to find a better story title...  
This is more of a prologue, but I'm storing it as a short chapter anyway. Reviews are the fuel to my creativity fire... and I appreciate every word :)

~TZI


	2. Wolf Attack

As it turned out, the place was not as odd as Eia had first assumed. There was a sort of vibe to it, an atmosphere she couldn't quite place, that hit rather close to home. No, not home – her old home was not what she wanted associated with this place – here it was welcoming. As if she was meant to be there.

It was in the early hours of the morning when Healer Cartruce came back. Fresh sunlight streamed through the half-closed blinds, causing a stripy pattern of sunlight to cover her lap. Eia had passed the time by watching it grow more intense by the moment, and though it was only faint she swore she could feel as it brightened.

"How are you feeling?"

Eia looked up and was surprised to find the movement didn't hurt. "There's no fire anymore, so I'm assuming that's good. And I can move." She begun lifted herself into a sitting position, only to find her arms giving way and falling back onto the bed again.

"Careful dear! You've had a rough night."

"Excuse me, but... what exactly happened to me?"

Healer Cartruce turned and gave a sympathetic, sad smile. "Oh, dear. This isn't going to be easy for you, I'm afraid. And I'm not sure I'm the right person to explain it all to you. Professor Dumbledore owled me as soon as he found out what had happened – there's just one thing he's got to do and then he's coming straight in to see you. He'll tell you all you need to know and answer all of your questions."

"Professor... Dumbledore?" Eia asked timidly, trying out the name.

The nurse smiled kindly. "That's right. He's a great man, you'll see. But for now, drink this," she said holding up what looked to be a very nasty concoction.

"What is it?"

"Just a potion to smooth over your joints," she nodded towards Eia's collapsed arms to prove her point.

"Right. Potion." She said, and skulled.

This was starting to remind her of the fairy tales her father had fed her while she was growing up. The Healer, the place, the "potion". Even the mention of this "Professor Dumbledore" sparked something in her memory, too. The ones about witches and wizards and creatures, all evil and out to destroy. The ones with too much power and too little morals, the sole purpose of their existence to hurt and kill the innocent.

But she was just being stupid. It couldn't be.

Before she could give it any more thought, an old man with a huge beard was standing at the doorway. There was a figure behind him, shoulders hunched and face down. She couldn't place why he felt so familiar.

"Albus," Healer Cartruce greeted him with a slight curtsey.

"Ah, Mindy. Doing well?"

"Indeed, thank you," she then glanced quickly at Eia, then the figure, and knowingly back at the man, giving one curt nod. "If you need my assistance, I'll be in the hall."

The man who she suspected was Dumbledore nodded in return. He shut the door before taking the seat next to Eia's bed.

"Please, Mr Lupin, take a seat," the man said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her bed.

The boy reluctantly did so, and in moving she could see him clearly.

She did all she could to stop from gaping. He had extremely pale skin, a terribly frail body and she swore she could see scars on his skin. He looked awful, and very ill.

As soon as he saw her face, his screwed up in a terrible expression and he looked away. Was she really that unbearable to look at now? Surely whatever had happened to her didn't affect her face, or she'd have felt it.

"Felicia Hunt," the old man greeted her knowingly, interrupting her train of thought and tearing her eyes away from the boy.

"Eia, please. I hate Felicia."

The man chuckled. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. But please, call me Dumbledore."

"Right," she said faintly. "Dumbledore."

"And this is Remus Lupin, an excellent student of your age. A very good person," he added, giving the boy a look she couldn't interpret.

"I suppose you might be wondering why you're here," Dumbledore said.

She nodded lightly. Was that a _twinkle_ in his eye?

"Your father, a steady business man, I believe? He was rather _inclined_ against magic, correct?"

Magic? What did this have to do with anything? Still, she nodded slowly.

"He told me all sorts of stories - biased, I think, now looking back on it - when I was little. Awful stories."

The boy looked up slightly at this, and she tried to ignore the odd look he was giving her.

"As I assumed," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "But do _you_ believe in magic?"

Eia frowned. "I never really thought about it to be honest. I didn't really get a chance." She said, and then realised what he was asking. "Excuse me, but _why_ are we talking about magic?"

Dumbledore smiled and raised something that looked like a stick, but was fashioned neatly into-

No. It couldn't be.

He flicked his wrist, and three empty bottles, used for containing medicine, flew into the air, sustained by absolutely nothing. Another flick, and they were circling each other above her head.

This was a trick. This wasn't real. Come on, where were the cameras? They were just around the corner ready to get her for some sick reality show. This could _not_ be real. Just a trick with magnets or _something_. Anything! Anything but this.

And then another flick of his wand, and the bottles had morphed into clipped flowers. A moment later, they had fallen from the air, showering her with bright, fresh daisies.

Eia was vaguely aware of her dropped jaw, her eyes searching desperately for answers. But everything was clicking into place, and she couldn't do anything about it but witness as everything came together.

"The stories, they were real, weren't they?" she whispered coarsely.

"The stories you were brought up with were built from reality. But that is not to say they were real."

Eia looked into his eyes with curiosity.

"Sorry, Sir?"

"I have reason to believe that your father twisted the ways of our world."

_Our_ world? Who did he mean by "our"?

"You were brought up with scorn and hate for magic, regardless of whether or not you believed it was real."

"I guess so, yes. But I never paid any attention to it. Those stories were just the start of it - there was so much else that pulled me farther away from my parents. They couldn't be more wrong," she added bitterly.

She thought back on the stories, and one particular memory came to her. It was the eve of her eleventh birthday, and her father had been telling her one of the more vicious stories. It was about a group of wizard officials setting a pack of werewolves loose on groups of innocent people, killing their families and destroying their lives. Not the most pleasant bedtime story to help one sleep before the excitement of a birthday, but a memorable one nonetheless. After he had finished, he had said to her, "Felicia, what would you do if you met one of these cruel, evil wizards?"

Being ten, she was under the impression that her answer could only be strictly metaphorical, so she answered for kicks, "something I don't think I'm allowed to say in front of you. Sorry."

"Good girl. That was the right answer. You can't trust them, remember that."

He seemed satisfied, and Eia frowned. That wasn't the reaction she'd been aiming for.

It was that night when the clock struck midnight that she realised her father hadn't been telling her the impartial truth. And she began to rebel.

"The wizarding world does exist, Eia. It is much the same as the one you have learnt about for so many years, but for the intentions of our kind. Cruel though we may have been portrayed, only a fraction are on evil's side, and we are doing our very best to eliminate this population. Do you understand?"

In all truth, she felt a little woozy. "I think so, Sir."

He nodded, and continued. "Your father was born a wizard while his parents weren't magical. A Muggleborn, as they are referred to. This bloodline is traditionally not the most favourable in our society.

"When your father was very young, not ten years old to be exact, he narrowly avoided his own dreadful fate, but his family did not. On one full moon when a group of rebel, evil werewolves were on the loose, they planned to attack him. However, the wolves made a mistake and lunged while he was at the market. But when he returned, each and every person in the house lay dead."

Eia was proved speechless and paled even more, if that were possible. So _that_ was why she had never known anyone from her father's side of the family. They were all deceased.

Remus looked horrified at the information.

"And that's why he hated you all," she whispered, more to herself than Dumbledore.

"I'm afraid so."

More and more things were clicking into place by the second, and then she realised.

"I was bitten, wasn't I?" Wide eyes, a pleading tone. She was practically begging him to deny it and laugh at her absurdness.

But reassurance never came.

"Yes."

She took a deep breath and tried to place her mind. This was enough information to excuse her for being so weary, wasn't it?

Next to her, she couldn't help but notice that the boy had gone back to his original posture, though his expression had become much more intense; a mixed one, ridden with pain and self-loathing and guilt. His fists were clenched into tight balls in his lap, so much that his knuckles were turning whiter than his pale skin.

"Remus?" she spoke gently. She knew his fingernails were digging into his palms, and she didn't like the idea of him being in pain, let alone bleeding. There was something different about him. And while she had no doubt this was weird, it didn't really matter for the moment. "Are you alright?"

He kept his eyes lowered and shook his head. "I'm so, so sorry," he whispered.

Eia didn't know what to say to that. He was sorry. Sorry for what?

She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how, let alone what was wrong.

So she looked to Dumbledore for help.

And it was all right there in his eyes.

"_Oh_." Was all she could manage, and took a deep breath.

"A series of unlucky events that night caused Mr. Lupin and yourself to cross paths..."

Her breath hitched.

"...And resulted in passing on his lycanthropy to you."

Passing on? Did that mean that the boy no longer had _his _lycanthropy? Because in all honesty, she would have hardly minded mind if this were true. However, if looks were anything to go by, he looked about as healthy as a werewolf could under the current circumstances.

She was speechless. What could she say? "Oh, don't worry, you've just turned me into a monster and an outcast of both worlds, one of which I would have never had to worry about were it not for you, and I have absolutely nowhere to go now, but it's okay, because you're a good person." No, that wasn't right. She didn't hate the boy and she couldn't possibly blame him – his guilt alone could probably be felt from miles away – but she couldn't comfort him and say everything was fine. No, everything was _far_ from fine.

"That is all, for this morning. I will be in contact once you have had time to settle in." Dumbledore said, and exited the room.

A tense silence filled the air for what seemed like eons.

Then suddenly Remus broke.

"Please, say something! Yell at me, tell me how much you hate me, how I don't deserve to live, please, just _anything_."

She gave him a confused look. "Why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you? I'm a monster," he said shamefully, keeping his eyes down.

"You are _not_ a monster."

He looked straight at her, eyes disbelieving and tone doubtful. "You don't think so?"

"No. And I don't blame you at all. It was partly my fault anyway, running away in the middle of the night like that," she added, realising her stupidity.

Remus muttered something that did not sound like agreement.

But it would have to suffice for now.

"I've always wondered what it would be like if magic really existed," Eia said in an attempt to change the subject.

"It's not exactly all fun and games."

_Really? I hadn't noticed. I thought it was going pretty well so far_, she thought, laced with sarcasm. And then realised what she'd thought and scolded herself. _It's not his fault! You can't blame him!_

"Yeah. But I 'spose nothing is, really. You've got to give a little to get a little, right?"

He didn't move.

"There's always a bright side to everything, wouldn't you agree?"

Again, to no prevail. She'd known this guy for about fifteen minutes, true, but that didn't mean she was going to let him waste away in all his sorrows.

"Oh come on, there must be _something_ good in your life."

Something sparked in his eye. "Might be," he said.

_Ting! Distraction!_ "Tell me."

He was trying to contain a smile and failing miserably. "My friends."

_Brilliant_, she thought. _This is going to be e-_

Then he realised something, and went back to looking completely and utterly dejected.

_Or not. _This was going to be a _long_ morning.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it.

~TZI


	3. The Favour

**A/N:** I've had to make a few plot adjustments, so the end of chapter two has been changed. I recommend going back and reading that first in order to save some confusion before reading this chapter :). Thanks!

* * *

Healer Cartruce slipped in to give Eia one last glass of medicine for the morning – a sickly, thick, creamy-grey "potion" as she called it, that tasted downright awful (Remus gave her an empathetic look as she downed it, blocking her nose in an unsuccessful attempt to get rid of the taste) – and gave the news that she was fine to leave the hospital within the next hour.

"Thank God," she said once the nurse had left the room. "Hospitals make me nervous."

"You're going to have to get used to it," Remus said, no malice in his voice.

"So are you."

He gave her a confused look.

"Me being in hospitals, I mean. Well, not me actually being in hospitals, but the _idea_ of me being in hospitals... I mean, er, this. Me being a werewolf and all. It's not your fault and you've got to deal with that, okay?"

_Smooth, Eia._ He was watching her very strangely. She really should not be allowed to talk sometimes.

"Sorry. Er, hospitals make me weird. But you get the idea, right? I don't want you drowning in your own misery because of me."

"You get straight to the point, don't you?" he said lightly, avoiding the subject.

She shrugged. "Not a fan of small talk and fluffing around, you know? Much rather just get on with whatever you're obviously desperate to say. I hate people that postpone it. It's not like– hey! You're trying to distract me!"

"Worth a try," he sighed.

"I'm not stupid, you know."

"Never said you were."

She sighed. "Look, I don't mean to pry, but I sort of think it's inevitable. You bit me. I turned into a werewolf. We've just both got to learn to deal with it, however hard that might be."

"You're taking this awfully well, you know."

She shrugged. "It's just how I am, I suppose. Besides, I always figured the fates would throw something for me to deal with sooner or later if only to smite my father, or I would have gone looking for it. That, and I'm pretty sure it just hasn't sunk in yet. Which is why I'm trying to say this now before I realise that this is actually real and freak out completely."

Remus sighed and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "How did you get into the forest, anyway? It's supposed to be near impossible for Muggles to get through the openings."

"I don't know what a Muggle is, but _near_ is the operative word. I've been going into the forest for years. There's this great place right in the middle of it that's just lush grass with one huge tree in the middle of it. It's great to climb up and just watch the world go by from up high, forget about all the rubbish things in life.

I suppose no one is supposed to get through it, yes. There's no restrictions or anything, but there doesn't really need to be. No one can get past the outside bushes, let alone the entwined branches that are underneath. I learnt how to get past all the procautions when I was thirteen though. It's not anything special, you've just got to have the right mindset."

Behind his hand, he almost looked amused.

"Maybe I could take you there sometime. It's lovely, really."

"I won't be going back there, Eia. I don't think I could if I tried."

She considered this for a moment.

"Huh. I think I should be offended."

"Why on Earth would you be offended?"

"You don't want to go back there because it's where we first met. Really, am I really that unbearable? Honestly, I knew I was bad, but I didn't think I was _that_ bad."

He removed his hand from the bridge of his nose, and threw his head back slightly to laugh. It wasn't an amused laugh, all in all. This laugh was more on the side of hysteria than mirth. It was a laugh that said he didn't believe any of this and just needed to get the absurdness out somehow.

Still, no matter how justified the reasoning, he sounded hysterical to Eia.

Then it faded out as quickly as it had come and he shook his head, speaking through a strange, strangled voice. "You don't understand it - the torment and the shame, the pain. All of it! You just don't understand."

She let him calm down before replying.

"No. No, I don't understand. But I will. And I can assure you as soon as I do I'll be right there by your side, fighting against anyone who dares to challenge you."

"That's rather brave of you to say."

"I'm sure it seems like that to you, but it's the least I could do. At least now I actually know someone that I can bug if the going gets rough - they mightn't appreciate it, but I always find a way to make it up to people - thanks to you. If you hadn't found me that night, I would probably be unconscious in the middle of the forest where no one could find me, just waiting for some big cat to come find its lunch."

The edges of his mouth quirked just a little. "You remind me of a little my friend Sirius."

"Is that a good thing?"

"You're almost as melodramatic as he is."

"What? I am not melodramatic, thank you very much! I don't know if you recall but I was recently deemed homeless. _I_ have an excuse," she protested.

His smile spread a little further before he could contain it.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

That little sentence was enough to make her optimism disappear completely.

Getting out of here. It meant that there was something after she'd gotten out of this weird hospital, and _oh God_ she hadn't even _thought_ about that yet! Where was she supposed to go now? She didn't have a family anymore, and it wasn't like she had any friends who would take her in. She had nowhere to go!

It was like a sharp blow to the heart as she realised home didn't exist anymore.

Remus must have picked up on what she'd been thinking, because he didn't question the sudden mood change. They sat like that for a while, falling into place with a worrying silence.

Then suddenly words were pouring from Eia's mouth before she had time to stop them.

"Remus? Would you mind if I... Oh, I don't know, stayed at your place for a bit? It's just, I can't go home, and I don't know anyone else who I could go to, and I'm really craving a hot shower and a warm bed right now." She looked at him hopefully. And then realised what she was asking, and her face fell. "Oh, but it's okay if I can't, really. Dumbledore seems like he can figure something out for me, or, something..."

Great. Now she was rambling again. She had had her suspicions, but now she knew for sure that being a werewolf didn't eliminate her old habits. Ah well, it was a silly hopeful theory anyway.

Still, she was glad she'd asked, because at least she'd tried, and wouldn't have to regret not asking. She would have much rather had a nice homey bed in a nice homey house as opposed to a small, cramped temp. And while that was totally selfish, she was now a homeless werewolf without any family or friends. Eia really, really needed a break.

"Of course," he said in understanding. "Mum and Dad want to do all they can to help, I'm sure they wouldn't mind. You can stay as long as you need."

She broke out into a huge smile. "Thanks, Remus." _Well, thank goodness, that fixes that._

Her happiness was forgotten, however, when he returned with a sad smile, completely avoiding Eia's eyes.

And that was the moment she made her first task for the summer: _get Remus to forgive himself._

* * *

**A/N:** Woa short chapter. Hope you liked it! :)

~TZI


	4. A New Home

_Sirius Black to Remus Lupin, 10__th__ August 1975_

_Moony,_

_How was the you-know-what?_

_I know how it used to be before we came along. We've all been worrying._

_Write back as soon as you can,_

_Padfoot._

"What's that?"

Remus Lupin looked up sharply in surprise, instinctively protecting the letter securely to his chest.

"Nothing," he answered Eia hastily, and tried to pocket the letter before the girl made a huge fuss.

"Then why do you look so guilty?" Eia said smugly.

"Because you're making me feel as if I should be, for something that is totally irrelevant to you," he answered, hoping only he could hear the small trace of nervousness in his voice.

"You shouldn't lie to me, you know," she replied coolly.

He sighed in defeat, knowing full well that he _shouldn't_ lie to her after what he'd inflicted. "What are you, a mind reader now?"

"Nope, just perceptive," she chirped happily, extending an open palm; a blunt request for the letter.

Reluctantly, he handed over the note from his best friend, Sirius Black. Normally, he wouldn't have been so easily talked into dishing out his mail, but it _was_ something that concerned Eia.

"Moony? Subtle," was the first thing she said upon looking at it.

He watched her as she skimmed through it a good few times, before she looked up.

"So, what are you going to tell him? Or her," she added as an afterthought.

"Him," Remus confirmed. "And... I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Clearly he knows your secret. So you're going to tell him all about your lovely new friend you made two nights ago, right?" He tried to ignore the double meaning in her words, but it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do when making her into a werewolf was the only thing that was on his mind.

"It's not really as simple as that. I mean, they've already done so much for me, and if they find out what I've done-"

"Then what? They've done so much for you, but you think they'll abandon you and shout your secret to the world because you made one unconscious mistake? When they found out what you are, they obviously knew would you could do, yet they've stayed friends with you. Hello! Doesn't that say anything?"

He felt a little guilty for being caught out underestimating his friends. He tried to think of a way to defend his way of thinking, considered telling her that any person would change their minds in a flash when faced with the same situation, but knew she'd take none of it regardless. Besides, she'd end up learning and understanding the complications of being a dark creature in time anyway.

"Yes. Yes, I suppose that's how you'd see it," he said, though no malice carried through in his voice. She chucked a nearby tea towel at his head and grinned.

Then they remembered the problem again, and drifted back into seriousness as they addressed the topic at hand properly. "So... how should I tell them?"

"Well, get a new piece of paper and a biro, and _write_."

"Paper and biro?" he queried, giving her an odd look.

"Yes, paper and biro. What do you write with, feathers?" she scoffed.

"Yes."

To Remus's surprise, she looked a little stunned for a few moments, before covering up quickly. "Right. Whatever. Just do it. I'm gonna go freshen up, alright? Those hospital beds are right dodgy, I swear..."

He smirked slightly as she left the room shaking her head and muttering at the memory.

He pulled out a new strip of parchment, dipped a nearby quill into an ink bottle, and wrote,

_Padfoot,_

Then paused before touching the quill back down, thinking hard. He didn't want to lie to his friends, nor Eia. Still, he didn't like the idea of letting his friends know what he'd done, especially before he had had some time to digest it himself. Finally, hesitant as ever, he continued.

_Full moon was fine. It wasn't that bad. Honestly, stop worrying about me, I'm fine._

_RL_

He took a deep breath and let the guilt flow before sealing the parchment in an envelope, attaching it to his parents' owl and sending it off.

He would tell them eventually. Just not right now, that was all. After all, he _was_ saving them from worrying about it too; inevitably they would blame themselves, bloody Gryffindors, for it had been the first full moon he'd had alone since his friends started to join him.

And hey, there was still the possibility they would never even have to find out. Or at least that's what he tried to convince himself for the time being.

* * *

The house was definitely not like a normal house, Eia decided. Sure, it looked alright from the outside, but inside? It was just warped. Totally and utterly oddly decorated.

It reminded her a little of the hospital, St Mango's or whatever it was, except it was homey and comfortable. No needles or medication or surgeon knives anywhere, which had to be a plus.

And there was this sort of _feel_. An atmosphere she couldn't quite place, like there was something lingering in the air, which felt positively divine. Not a physical feel, of course, but... a spiritual one. She wasn't a huge believer of that sort of thing, but who knew? After all, she had just found out magic existed.

There were frames on the walls and mantelpiece that she didn't really pay all that much attention to, and a record player situated in the corner of the living room beside a big cabinet full of records. She would have bet a million pounds that there was something not quite right about "The Weird Sisters" record she saw on the top.

The books, by looking at the spines in great detail, looked incredibly strange, yet intriguing. Or at first glance, anyway. She'd have to read some of them if she really would be staying here for a bit.

Eia and Remus had come home from the hospital together, to arrive an empty house. Remus' parents had gone out to the market, so they had to wait until they returned before she could officially "move in" or whatever it was she was doing.

Thankfully, it gave her a little time to collect herself before making an impression on the two adults she would hopefully be staying with for an infinite amount of time. She'd find a job and pay for her own food and help around the house, and as soon as she'd earnt enough to sustain the rent for an apartment, she'd move out.

After all, she didn't want to be a burden. The house was relatively small and it didn't look as though the family had much money to spare. She wasn't stupid – she saw it hurt Remus just for him to look at her – she was a living, breathing reminder of the monster Remus was. Even if it wasn't true.

So she didn't plan on getting close to anyone. Maybe Remus - she'd write him if they turned out friends. He seemed like he needed someone to confide in, get advice from time to time. Well thought out advice. From _a girl_.

Because from what she'd gathered about his friends? Maniacs. Amazing, genuine, and brave.

But complete maniacs.

She peered around the corner to find another hallway, rooms leading off from the narrow boards. It wasn't like she needed to actually "freshen up" and fix her _make up_ or anything, she scoffed. No, Eia's definition of "freshen up" had nothing to do with bathrooms or vanity.

She reached the end of the hallway to find a door wide open. Eia checked swiftly to make sure she wouldn't be intruding on anything private.

The room was painted a patchy white, complete with a built-in wardrobe. It was almost empty, but for three main items: a very neatly made double bed that looked like it hadn't been touched in years; a bedside table, not one item occupying the surface; and a stick hanging from the ceiling that evolved into a circular bulb, protecting the lightbulb inside.

All in all, it was very neat, untouched, and _had a window_.

She rushed to the right of the bed to reach the window, used her thumb to lock the hatch over to the other side, and pulled up at the frame.

The deep, cool wind rushed in immediately, replacing the somewhat unloved atmosphere with one she knew and loved dearly: the breeze of today.

Dipping her head back slightly, Eia allowed the fresh wind to fan her face softly, blow in her hair, and just let her catch up with the world.

That was what she liked about the wind; it never changed. No matter what happened in life, the wind would always be there, during the highs and lows. No matter what happened, it still existed. You could discover magic is real, transform into a beast, become houseless and lose the definition of 'home', but the wind would always be there, bringing you up to speed and telling you that there'll be something that will never change, even if everything else does.

And she liked having that comfort level. If nothing else, it reminded her that the world wasn't going to end just because something awful has happened. Because every low point would pass, but the wind would keep blowing. That was all the reassurance Eia needed. After all, reassurance was rare in a situation like this.

So she stood there, indulging for a few solid minutes, forgetting about all of the cruelness in the happenings of the last few days.

She imagined that maybe, just maybe, when she turned back things would have changed again, and everything would be better.

But unfortunately, she knew full well nothing would change after she shut the window and cut off the fresh air. In fact, she knew she probably wouldn't get a stupid "happily ever after" at all.

"Eia?" Came a voice from behind her, instantly snapping her out of her solitude.

"Er. Hi."

"What are you doing?" Remus asked.

She shrugged, trying to look composed. "Freshening up... literally?"

She could detect a hint of a smile on his lips, but he wiped it and changed the subject before she could push through the cracks. "This is the spare bedroom, where you'll be sleeping. I'm sorry that it's not very homey; we don't get many visitors around here."

"It's perfect – more than perfect! Thank you," she rushed gratefully.

"And I know you couldn't bring any of your things with you, so we'll go shopping tomorrow. You can't wear that one outfit forever, after all."

Eia smiled genuinely, an air of hope still lingering. "Thanks, Remus. I'll pay you back once I've gotten my first pay check, I promise."

"Pay check?"

"Yeah. From a job." He stared at her blankly. "Oh, come on. You can't honestly expect I'd impose on you and your family like this and not pay for myself."

"You're not imposing on anyone, and you certainly don't have to _work-_"

"No, really. I'd like to, anyway. Something to do," she reassured quickly. It wasn't exactly the whole truth, but she wasn't going to take from his family without sustaining herself, no matter what Remus said. It wouldn't be fair.

"If you're sure," he said.

"I don't suppose there're any shops around here that might be looking to hire?" she asked hopefully.

Remus suppressed a smile. "We'll see. But for now, my parents are downstairs and eager to meet you."

"You- I- what?" Eia spluttered. "Why didn't you _say_ so?"

They moved across the room and into the hallway without conversing.

It hadn't crossed her mind before, but now she realised that she was rather nervous. What if they didn't like her? It would be terribly awkward to live together. Or worse, what if they didn't let her stay at all? What if they kicked her out because she rambled on too much or broke something in a clumsy, embarrassing display?!

And right then, as if reading her mind, Remus smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry. They'll like you."

Eia took a deep breath and followed Remus down the stairs, hoping he was right.

* * *

A/N Hey guys! I'm just back from fishing my way out of a crazy work load. I miss the school holidays!

So what do you think? Will Remus's parents take Eia in, or will she mess everything up in a typical Eia-like way? How will Sirius, James and Peter find out about Remus's new werewolf?

Much love,  
~TZI.


	5. Changes

Warning: There's a little bit of graphic description concerning wounds at the end.

* * *

Eia and Remus made their way downstairs quickly without problem. It was when they reached the end of the hallway that Eia stopped dead in her tracks.

Hanging on the wall was a huge, life-sized painting of a slender woman in old fashioned clothes. Her backdrop was a soft blur of dull colours, set in a bedroom chamber. The lady had one hand on the arm of her sofa, supporting her weight against it.

Remus had just travelled a few steps ahead of her before noticing Eia had stopped following, and turned around.

"Remus," she said slowly and cautiously, eyeing the portrait. "Is it just me, or is that painting moving?"

Slightly afraid for her sanity, Eia stepped back from the huge painting, which was now eyeing her incredulously.

"Er. That's a wizarding portrait. It's a bit like how you have films. It's the same with our photos," he explained.

"...Right," said Eia faintly.

"What are you looking at?" snapped the lady, and Eia jolted in fright.

"_It can talk?!"_

Remus frowned, and said quietly, "Our photos can't do that, though."

It made little difference to her. This was... this wasn't realistic! It wasn't physically possible! The laws of science certainly did not include this – this type of thing only existed in TV shows and movies and books – not actual _real life_.

_But it is,_ she told herself_. It's all real now. Better get used to it fast._

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts as best she could.

"Eia? Are you alright?"

"Er. Yeah, I think so. Just a bit of shock, I mean - there's a huge difference between knowing magic is real and actually _seeing_ it."

"Yeah," said Remus.

"Remus?" A voice called out, startling the two teenagers. Both of them snapped their heads to the hallway.

"Remus!" Eia hissed. She'd completely forgotten about his parents. Nervousness hit her like a truck again.

Remus ignored her reprimand. "Come on."

xxx

Mr and Mrs Lupin were exactly as Eia would have thought. They were the perfect model of typical, caring parents. She'd never actually met any herself, but she'd heard plenty about them in books and perfect endings.

Mr Lupin wore a brown, patchy suit, tattered with age. He had a long, friendly face with a distinct jaw line, and rich brown hair, a fuller colour than Remus's. He smiled warmly, trying to hide his sympathy but failing miserably as he met the new arrival. Eia returned the polite smile as genuinely as she could manage.

Mrs Lupin had faded dirty blonde curls tied up in a large bunch at the back of her head, a few stray curls framing either side of her face. She had fastened an apron around her floral dress, already in the kitchen.

And then there was the shock. It was not the adults themselves that was shocking. It was what they were _doing_.

Mr Lupin was sitting at the coffee table, a funky looking magazine in his hands. The front page had a large photograph of a very grumpy looking old couple who were glaring back out of the paper (_moving_.)

Mrs Lupin was attending to the large pile of dishes that had been abandoned at the sink earlier - but she wasn't doing them herself. The woman held a long, straight twig in her hand, pointing it at the dirty cutlery. And one by one, the dishes cleaned themselves. No physical contact. No smoke or mirrors.

_Magic_.

It was the first piece of real magic Eia had ever seen. Perhaps it wasn't much, but it was still overwhelming.

And altogether frightening.

Eia didn't notice she was staring until she saw Remus's cautious frown. She shook herself out of her reverie and forced a smile, reluctantly tearing her eyes from the magic.

"Mum, Dad, this is Eia Hunt," said Remus.

Mrs Lupin rushed forward and gave her a hug.

"Welcome, Eia, to everything. I'm so sorry you got caught in the middle of all this. We're here for you, of course, but there... isn't really anything we can do about it. I'm so sorry," Mrs Lupin said. She looked as though she wanted to say more... but didn't.

"Thanks, Mrs Lupin. I know. It's okay, just letting me stay here is something I can never thank you enough for." Eia replied.

"Oh, dear," Mrs Lupin said. "You look absolutely famished. Dinner will be ready soon."

Eia hadn't even realised how hungry she was until now.

"I am - that'd be brilliant. Thanks," Eia said.

Mrs Lupin returned to her place in the kitchen as Mr Lupin put his newspaper down.

"Hello Eia," Mr Lupin said, extending a hand. "How are you?"

It was a ridiculous question, and they both knew it. Eia thought he must be trying to stick to the norm pleasantries to make her feel... well, normal.

"Good, thanks," she bluffed. She shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

He gave a small, sad smile. "You don't need to cover yourself here. We know how hard it is. You must be terrified."

She shook her head. "I'm not covering myself up. I'm just... trying to keep things normal, Sir."

Mr Lupin searched her for what seemed like ages before apparently making up his mind on something. "Okay."

"Thank you, Sir."

Mrs Lupin called from the kitchen, "Remus, have you shown Eia to the guest room?"

"Yes, Mum," he replied. His tone sounded too automatic, too pre-programed. Eia really didn't like it.

But Remus's mother was pointing the stick at a chopping board now, where a knife was hovering in the air by itself, slicing carrots, and Eia found herself distracted.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to magic.

Eia had been so completely immersed in the action that when Remus called her name she jumped.

And knocked a vase over. It shattered, and broken pieces scattered the floor amongst blood red flowers and water.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! Here, I'll just-"

"Nonsense, dear! Don't worry about it. _Reparo!_" Mrs Lupin said, pointing the piece of wood at the broken remains.

Eia stood, speechless, as she watched the broken glass connect and pull upright again, water seeping back inside and roses placing themselves in their original spots, before it levitated itself back to the table again.

She knew they were all watching her carefully, but she just couldn't bring herself to look away from the vase.

"Eia? Are you alright?"

She shook her head, though didn't look away. "Yeah. Just, you know. Magic. It's... a little scary," she said.

Feeling three sets of disbelieving eyes on her, Eia looked up, gave a shaky smile and nodded. "Fine, really."

Magic is really real. Right. This was actually happening. They really had to go through with this. There were no other options.

It was just hard to accept.

xxx

It was surreal and overwhelming, the Lupin house. Eia was constantly distracted by all the little bits of magic around, unable to concentrate on a conversation properly because of all the mythical things here that shouldn't exist.

She ate dinner with the Lupins quietly, and excused herself soon after, trying to pretend she didn't see the worried glance the family shared as she cleared her plate.

Mrs Lupin dug through her closet and found an old pair of pyjamas Eia's size, and leant them to her until she got some new clothes.

It was all very hazy, and if Eia thought if in the future she were asked to look back on this day, she wouldn't be able to recall much.

What she did notice was how Remus would space out a lot, how he would hardly speak, so she made sure she smiled reassuringly whenever their eyes met. He forced a smile back. They both knew it was a lie.

"Goodnight, Eia," Remus said curtly as he lingered at her doorway. "I'm really, really-"

"Don't you dare say sorry again. You've done more than enough, much more than I deserve. I've never met anyone as decent as you before, you know? Go and get some sleep, you deserve it. Goodnight." It was her sraight forward end-of-discussion-and-don't-you-dare-test-that tone. 100% effective.

Still, Remus nodded, and she knew he didn't believing a word. She'd have to fix that. Later. At the moment, she had to deal with now's problems.

Eia shut the door, locked it, and promptly leaned back, groaning at the pain in her side, which had returned about a half hour ago.

She slid down the door, slumping to the floor with a slight thud, and leant her head back against it.

It had been one long day, filled with information overload and treading water and brave faces. It had been a long day which seemed like it would never end. The day was only the beginning of the challenge though, a challenge which would never go away. Eia knew that from here on in, she'd have to always be fighting. Fighting for her rights, her life. The thought was so disheartening, and made her ache everywhere.

Eis scrunched her eyes shut and brought her hand to her side, where the pain was intensifying by the minute. The anaesthetic was wearing off, that was all it was. Still, it didn't make it any less painful. She clenched her teeth and hissed through them, cringing.

Obviously, she couldn't stay on the floor all night, so she forced herself upright, clinging on to things in an attempt to level herself. Trying her hardest not to aggravate the pain more.

She grabbed the pyjamas from the bed, replacing her bottoms without much trouble. However, when she took her shirt off, something was different.

There was a large bandage wrapped around her entire middle tightly, complete with dark crimson seeping through. Well, that would explain it. This had been the source of the pain, clearly. She probably just needed to change the material.

Luckily, there was a bandage in the bathroom on the sink bench. Remus's parents must have left it out for her, just in case.

She hobbled her way over and lowered herself onto the toilet seat, the clean bandage resting in her lap.

She caught the catch on the material currently around her waist, unhooked it, and unravelled the thick bandaging. She placed it carefully on the sink table top before grabbing the new bandage and looking down.

What she saw made her freeze completely, eyes wide in mingled shock and horror.

Her exposed skin was not whole anymore. Her stomach had little gashes and cuts, both faint and deep, all the way across her front. But what made her really break inside was the sight of her right side.

Across her waist, travelling across to meet the middle of her stomach, was a huge, deep, ugly bite mark. Blood and some other substance still oozed out of the fresh wound.

It didn't look like a normal bite mark though, like something a child would acquire from a large dog attack, or a hunter mauled by a bear.

This scar was entirely different to anything she knew of, and so much more frightening.

It was a long gash, completely spread over the right side of her body, travelling from just below her breast to underneath her waist line. It was deep and open, blood red flesh exposed to the cold air. Surrounding it were deeper claw scratches, engraved further than the others over her body. Given, there were a lot of them. The wolf must have really fought for her.

She tried to ignore the pain, wincing as the cold air hit the exposed wound, her eyes stinging as they searched over her ruined skin, deep and ugly and unignorable.

Eia knew the attack had been real, she really did. She'd understood what had happened to her. She'd accepted it. But she still hadn't really believed it. She couldn't comprehend that now, this was what she was. Now she did. She really knew what she was now.

A monster trapped in the wrong world, locked in the in-between of separate nothings.

Her existence was worth less than nothing.

She couldn't help it. She couldn't stop it. Tears began to crash, and she had to let her shaking figure lapse into sobs.

Fumbling with the material, Eia quickly replaced the bandage, roughly pinning it back. It was an awful messy job, but it was the best she could do.

With the impossibility of her physical pain being almost forgotten, yet so bursting and white hot, she practically threw herself at the bed and stumbled under the covers, wrapping them around her to ease the sobs and let her forget the world so she could sleep.

This failed, and Eia ended up with her knees to her chest, arms around them, rocking back and forth, trying to wipe her eyes on her knees every so often.

Eventually, the sobs ceased. Then, Eia felt numb all over.

It was over.

This had been the first time she'd cracked in this new life. And she had to make it the last. The pain was too great. The _risk_ was too great. She couldn't give anyone any more reason to discriminate against her, any more opportunities to hurt her.

Scrunching her eyes up, Eia summoned up an imaginary world. In this world, she had parents who cared for her. Here, darkness she knew not. She was accepted and loved here, and there was never anything to worry over. It was somewhere she could go when everything seemed so impossibly bad and she just needed to crawl up and hide. Imaginary, yes, but even so, it was a place she knew she would be visiting a lot as the days wore into months.

It wasn't perfect, but it was all she'd ever wanted.

It wasn't real, but it was only the closest to it she could get.

* * *

**A/N:** It's up! Finally!

I'm so incredibly sorry about the long wait and delay of chapters. Things in real life completely blew up for me this month, and I've been debating over whether or not to re-write this story. I've sort of changed the direction I want to take this, and because of that there are a couple of loop-holes in the already posted chapters. Nothing drastic, but we'll see. I'll keep you posted on that! Hopefully the next chapter will be out a _lot_ sooner.

Also, apologies for that bit of gore at the end there. Don't worry, at the moment, that's about as drastic as it's going to get.

I know the 'imaginary world' part is rather clichéd, but it's significant to her realisation of something later on. Please bear with! This episode helps Eia get a lot more developed and quirky. Promise (:

My Anonymous Reviewers:

To lalaland: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying it! Eia _will _get to see the inside of Hogwarts... but that's all I'm saying for now ;)

To Melora: Thanks for the recommendation! It looks great, but I'm a little full on with everything at the moment. I'll definitely keep it bookmarked and in mind for when things start to die down a bit though! (Not that I've already half-written an application or anything...)

To pp: Thank you for reading! The idea hit me, and I was surprised when I looked around I couldn't find anything like it. I hope you'll stick with me :)

To Your Good Friend: I love you, my really good friend. ;D

Thank you so much to you and everyone else's reviews on last chapter! They make me deliriously happy - I love you all!

And, finally, thank you all for sticking with me - It really means a lot.


End file.
